The bleeding gastric ulcer - will it bleed again, and if so, why

Date
1984-07
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Health & Medical Publishing Group
Abstract
Nine patients qualified for surgery for a bleeding gastric ulcer - all had a 'visible vessel'. Three of these vessels were thrombosed including 2 in patients who had been in shock. The smallest patent vessel was 0,35 mm in diameter, and 6 of the bleeding vessels were subserosal. The features thought to predispose to further bleeding were vessel size, a lateral hole in the main trunk of the vessel and, possibly, previous recanalization or ingestion of a drug which affected haemostasis. Five of 6 patent arteries had a cap of thrombus over the breach forming a false aneurysm. It is suggested that clinically these should pulsate, enlarge, leak - with persistent fresh thrombus in the ulcer crater on repeat endoscopy - and finally rupture. Where the underlying vessel is thrombosed the stigmata of a non-pulsatile 'visible vessel' or thrombus in the ulcer should disappear on repeat endoscopy. The sizes of the arteries in the normal antrum are tabulated.
Description
CITATION: Shuttleworth, R.D. & Falck, V.G. 1984. The bleeding gastric ulcer - will it bleed again, and if so, why. A case for repeat endoscopy in evaluating stigmata. S Afr Med J, 66:95-97.
The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.za
Keywords
bleeding ulcer; gastric ulcer, ulcer; endoscopy, gastroscopy
Citation
Shuttleworth, R.D. & Falck, V.G. 1984. The bleeding gastric ulcer - will it bleed again, and if so, why. A case for repeat endoscopy in evaluating stigmata. S Afr Med J, 66:95-97.